Site personnel identified a problem with the water storage tanks outside the mobile crib huts. While the water was treated, long storage periods could lead to bacteria and virus growth within the tank.

They also found the existing point of use drinking water coolers were unreliable due to regular detection of microbes.

On top of this, the crib huts were being relocated every fortnight so any water purification system needed to withstand vibration during transport on unsealed roads, as well as withstand blast vibration.

The chosen solution was to install GE Homespring Water Purifiers in each of the huts to treat drinking water for potential dust, virus and bacteria contamination.

System supplier – Nubian Water Systems – said the Homespring installation not only provided high water quality but was also economical.

The GE Homespring uses dead space in the crib hut and because it has no moving parts any vibration caused by site blasts and hut relocation is no longer an issue.

Because the system requires minimal maintenance it has reduced the frequency of maintenance visits by the site plumber.

Besides mine installations Nubian has found many other applications for the Homespring Water Purifier including bottling plants, farms and rural communities where the Homespring acts as a small municipal water treatment plant.

Published in March 2006 Australian Longwall Magazine